Fly High
by NorthernPrincess
Summary: As the daughter of a certain mentor, Katniss Abernathy knows what happens after you survive. When she is reaped aged 12, her whole world turns upside down. A family of victors and a potential love interest are around her. Will she survive Snow's wrath? T because of the language used.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So my sister was wanting another story so yeah. I hope you enjoy.**

It was the day of my first reaping and to say I was scared would have been an understatement. My name was only in the bowl once. Dad stood on the stage, awaiting the 'lucky' tributes and I was waiting anxiously with the other girls my age. Effie, Dad's fiancé, was stood in the middle of the stage waiting for everybody to turn up. Effie and Dad were expecting a baby and I was going to be an older sister- again. I had a younger brother, Elliot, who was seven.

Much too quickly, everyone was in place. A video was shown about the Dark Days and I could see Dad trying hard not to roll his eyes. I zoned out until it got to the part everyone was dreading.

"The female tribute is," Effie pulled out a slip of paper and the look of pure agony on her face informed me immediately who it was, "Katniss Abernathy.

She looked back at Dad who was struggling to keep back tears. I walked slowly onto the stage and stood next to Effie, my face not displaying any emotion. Dad walked forward and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"And now for the boys- Gale Hawthorne."

Gale was tall and muscular, only two years older than myself, with the trademark dark hair, grey eyes and olive skin that came from living in the seam. I knew Gale quite well, I regarded him as family. He had taught me how to hunt and we both traded at the Hob.

"Your tributes: Gale Hawthorne and Katniss Abernathy."

We were marched into the Justice Building where we would say our final goodbyes.

I wasn't expecting anyone, but the mayor's wife came in.

"Here have this," she said, handing me a pin. "It was Maysilee's"

She walked out and Haymitch, Effie and Elliot walked in.

I looked at the pin Mrs Undersee had just given me. It was a golden mockingjay.

Dad saw the pin and smiled sadly.

"We are getting you out of there alive, Sweetheart," he hugged me.

"Katniss, sweetie, it is all my fault! I pulled out your name!" Effie sobbed.

"Effie, it is fine. You didn't know," I soothed her.

"You aren't going." Elliot said stubbornly.

"I'll be fine, Squirt," I assured him.

"No you won't, when you get back you will be all moody and jumpy like Dad!"

"I'll try not to be," I promised.

"Pinky promise?" he asked holding out his little finger.

"Pinky promise," I wrapped my finger round his and hugged him.

"Training had better pay off," Dad said kissing my head.

It would have been a really cute family moment if it hadn't been for the fact I had just been picked to die.

"Time is up- you are going to the train."

Elliot and I had always gone with Dad and Effie to the Capitol. Elliot stayed with one of Effie's friends and I stayed with the victors/ mentors. A few years ago, when I was seven, a mentors' lounge was created and that was where I spent most of my time. Most victors who had kids decided not to become mentors, but Dad was the only alive victor from Twelve.

I sat down next to Gale and we watched the reapings.

District 1.

Glimmer Shinings.

Marvel Glowster.

District 2

Clove Jennings

Cato Clarke

District 3

Jennifer Smith

Mark Brown.

District 4.

Marina Norman

Sam Parker.

District 5.

Elina Allen

Thomas Matthews.

District 6

Lara Spencer.

Jason Martins.

District 7.

Olivia Stevenson

Henry Jackson

District 8.

Chloe Williams

Brandon Stevens

District 9.

Charlotte Ball

Casey Morgan.

District 10.

Abbie Wilkinson.

Luke Andrews.

District 11.

Rue Johnson.

Thresh Davies.

District 12.

Katniss Abernathy.

Gale Hawthorne.

There was only one person who was smaller than my 5'1'' frame, the girl called Rue. The boy from 2 scared me slightly, he was the biggest tribute and he lunged forward to volunteer. He wore an expression that made Dad shiver.

"I'm supposed to keep you safe and now I have to watch you suffer!" Dad hugged me.

"I'll get her out of there alive," Gale promised.

"Gale," I said, "it isn't your responsibility to keep me alive. If I die, I die and you win."

"Don't die Niss! You can't die Niss!" Elliot screamed.

"Elliot, it won't really be any different this time than any other. Only this time I am going into the arena. I need you to behave for Feeba like usual ok?"

I picked him up and took him into his room.

"Get ready for dinner. I will live- I promise."

I went into my room and changed into some black jeans and a black blouse. It was more comfortable than the dress I had worn for the reaping. I left my room and went to the dining cart and sat down.

"At least I know what you both can do," Dad said grimly. "Gale because of your build you can't really hide in the shadows, Sweetheart, neither can you."

"What? Why? I asked.

"Katniss you are my daughter. A victor's daughter. The Capitol hate me so your training score will be high, merely to put a target on your head. You might as well show your strengths, just not using the bow and arrow," Dad told me.

"Huh," I replied. "I suppose that makes sense."

"Any alliances? I am going to assume that you two are going to be allies, but is there anyone else?" Dad inquired.

"Rue," I answered immediately.

"Of course," Gale muttered. "And maybe the male from eleven too."

"Hm. I'll speak to Chaff and Scarlett about an alliance," Dad said. "Anyone else?"

I shook my head.

"Ok. It might be best for you to go to bed," Dad advised. "You have a long day in front of you."

"Good night Dad, Effie, Gale. Good night squirt." I said before going to my room.

I would like to say that I didn't sleep very well, but I did. I fell asleep almost instantly. It was almost disgusting, despite the horror waiting for me, I fell asleep unlike many of the other tributes.

 **A/N: I hoped that you enjoyed it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Merry very late Christmas! I hope you all have a fantastic new year! Has anyone seen The Force Awakens yet? I cried so hard. My orthodontist has told me that I might be getting my brace off really soon! To those of you who have braces you will understand how excited I am. On with the story!**

"Katniss," Effie called, "We are going to be arriving in the Capitol in an hour."

Memories of what had happened yesterday flashed before me. The reaping. My name being read out. Dad's look of agony. Gale being reaped. Elliot refusing to let me go.

I groaned as I dragged myself into the shower. Quickly the soothing aroma of spiced apple and cinnamon filled the room. After getting dressed, I headed towards the dining cart.

"Morning Sweetheart," Dad greeted.

"Where's Gale?" I asked.

"Here," I turned around to see Gale grinning at me.

We sat around the table and a comfortable silence surrounded me.

"I spoke to Chaff this morning. Thresh and Rue wanted you as well." Dad smiled, before frowning. "Lyra, District Two, asked if you would be interested in an alliance with the girl, Clove."

I looked over to Gale and he shrugged.

"We'll think about it," I said, pouring myself a glass of orange juice.

The train began to slow and I glanced at the window to see hundreds of Capitol citizens screaming, waiting for us tributes. Knowing how to play a crowd, I forced a smile and stood by the window, waving at the crowd gathered. Gale copied me and soon we were out of sight. I sighed as I sat down again.

"Great acting Sweetheart! You smiled!" Dad teased, chuckling lightly.

* * *

My prep team were very enthusiastic to say the least. They cleaned me up and left, leaving me waiting for my stylist, who they called Cinna.

"I'm sorry," a voice said from behind me.

A man, who looked to be in his late twenties, stood in the doorway. He looked so normal. His hair was cropped closely to his head and it looked to be his natural colour, a deep chocolate brown. The only thing that showed he was from the Capitol was the gold eyeliner he wore, which brought out the golden flecks in his eyes.

"You're Cinna right?" I asked and he nodded.

"And you're Katniss. It is my job to make you stand out." Cinna said, smiling slightly. "You're twelve?"

"Yeah, might be a bit hard to make me memorable," I joked.

"Not impossible," he countered. "I'm pretty sure that you will be."

"How?"

"You're not afraid of fire, are you?" Cinna grinned.

* * *

Standing next to the chariot, I was nervous. The chariot ride was a way to attract sponsors, if a tribute looked strong, or was memorable they got sponsors. I had all my trust in Cinna. I was dressed in a simple black jumpsuit, with knee high leather boots and a plain midnight cape that reached my ankles. A small crown was weaved into my hair, which was in intricate braids that secured it onto my head. Gale wore a costume almost identical to mine, but he had a band around his head.

The other tributes were getting into their chariots when Cinna and a woman came over to us.

"Katniss this is Portia," Cinna introduced.

"Nice to meet you," I smiled. "Gale, this is Cinna."

We stood on our chariot and Cinna lit our capes as the doors opened. I took a deep breath, the fire danced around me, but it didn't burn my skin.

"Hold hands," Cinna told us quietly as we left the door.

We left the room with our hands together in the air, which was quite impressive when you remember that Gale was over a foot taller than myself. The Capitol went wild at our flaming ensembles. After bothering to look at our names on the programme, they began chanting them, over and over, gradually getting louder and louder until all you could hear was our names. A smile had been plastered on my face the entire time and it made my muscles twitch. Finally, after what seemed like hours, we arrived outside the President's mansion, our fiery costumes still burning brightly.

The President greeted us all and spoke about the Hunger Games. His eyes scanned over us tributes, but they seemed to stop on Gale and myself for longer. His eyes met mine and I smirked slightly. He looked away in well hidden disgust.

When we got to the training centre Dad was waiting for me with a grin on his face.

"Good job Sweetheart," he said, pulling me into a hug after my flames had been extinguished.

He took us up to our floor where Effie was waiting for us. I realised that I hadn't been able to say goodbye to Elliot.

"You made quite the entrance," Effie told us.

Dad nodded his head in agreement,"Finnick Odair was particularly impressed."

I blushed. I had met Finnick three times. The first time had been just after he had won and he had been introduced to the victors, the second time was in October for the Victors meet up and the third time had been his victory tour. Dad found the fact that we were friends hilarious, so did Chaff and Gloss. We phoned each other often and he was one of my only friends.

"Doesn't he fancy Katniss?" Gale asked, merely to embarrass me further.

"I'll break his nose if he does," Dad threatened.

"Dad, stop," I whined.

Quickly, I ate my dinner, before going to my favourite place: the roof. I loved the roof because of how different it was. I didn't have to pretend to be someone I wasn't and I had a beautiful view of the Capitol. I don't know how long I stayed up on the roof for, but I didn't leave until Dad called me down, saying that it was time for me to go to sleep. And for the second night in a row, I fell a sleep almost instantly.

 **A/N: I hope that you enjoyed it! Please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi guys! I would like to thank my friends for being so supportive of this story and letting me stress out over it. Thank you! I would also like to thank all of you readers for reading my story! I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
**

"Up you get now Sweetheart, training today," Dad's voice entered my ears.

I quickly took a shower before putting on a simple black tunic and black leggings. We all ate breakfast and Effie took Gale and I to the lift.

We were one of the first tributes there, only the careers beat us. Clove smiled when she saw us, something I returned. Cato was glaring daggers at me, a look of disgust mixed with hatred on his face.

"I bet Daddy can't wait to see his darling daughter die first by my hand," he said with as much venom as he could muster.

"Daddy," I said, "can't wait to see his darling daughter be crowned victor."

"Isn't this funny," Cato took a few steps towards me. "The ickle twelvie thinks she can win."

"Survive," I spat. "You never win."

Cato advanced some more and Gale stood protectively in front of me.

"Cato, just leave it," Clove said.

"Your days are numbered Twelve. I'll make sure your death is as painful as possible," he threatened before turning around.

"Looking forward to it."

More tributes came until everyone had arrived.

Gale headed towards the survival skills station and I went to the knives.

When Dad was in the arena, his weapon was a knife. He still slept with a knife clutched in his hand under his pillow. He had taught me how to use a knife, so I decided to sharpen my skills.

I got the feel of the knife in my hand, throwing it. The knife hit the target. Dead centre.

A low whistle from behind me grabbed my attention.

"Nice," Clove praised. "You're great, better than most will ever be."

"Thanks," I grinned.

I threw another one and it sunk itself next to my first one.

Clove was deadly with a knife. It was clearly her weapon of choice. The knife was silent as it cut through the air.

"Most of these targets on the dummies are useless," Clove informed. "The eye, head and abdomen are the best places to hit."

And with that I started throwing knives at the certain points.

Gale and I sat down at our own table with our lunch, Rue and Thresh were standing almost awkwardly with their food.

"Thresh! Rue!" Gale called, waving them over.

The days that followed seemed repeated in a similar pattern. An alliance was sealed and we became more than allies- we became friends.

"Sweetheart, Gale, show your strengths, do your best," Dad's advice repeated over and over again as I waited for my session.

"Katniss Abernathy."

As soon as I had walked through the doors I knew that I was in trouble. The Game makers had been looking at tributes for a long time and were bored and very drunk. I was nothing special to them, a mere girl of twelve, I obviously didn't have any talents. About three people were watching, the others were to engrossed with the alcohol available.

I took a deep breath and strung an arrow. It hit the desired target, but not in the centre. The feeling of the bow fell off, the string tighter than what I was used to.

Shooting another arrow, I sighed with relief as it hit the middle of the target.

I looked over to the Game makers, all of whom had lost interest. A sheet of furious anger washed over me, rage taking over my thoughts. My blood boiled and I shot one last arrow. Not in the direction of the target. In the direction of the Game makers. A shocked silence was bestowed upon the room. Many faces were looking between me and my arrow, which had pinned an apple to the wall.

"Thank you," I bowed, "for your consideration."

I left, leaving numerous people still wondering what had happened.

Dad groaned, Effie gasped in horror and Gale laughed.

"Only you Sweetheart," Dad said.

"They deserved it," I tried to justify my actions.

"I do not doubt that they did, but Sweetheart, your score was a way of securing sponsors. There is only so much I can do."

Guiltily, I looked down at the floor, "I understand Dad, I'll make up for it on the interviews."

He pulled me into a hug, "I'll sort something out for the two of you."

"The scores are about to be read," Cinna said entering the room.

We all made our way into the other room.

"The scores of our tributes!"

I made a note of all of the scores.

Marvel-9

Glimmer-9

Cato-10. Dad shuddered slightly, a look of disgust on his face.

Clove-10

Mark- 4

Jennifer- 6

Sam-7

Marina-8

Thomas-2

Elina-5

Jason- 9

Lara-5

Henry- 6

Olivia-6

Brandon- 7

Chloe-4

Casey- 6

Charlotte-5

Luke-3

Abbie-6

Thresh- 10 Cinna looked really impressed.

Rue- 7. It was Effie's turn to look impressed.

"Gale Hawthorne," the room was silent. Everyone was holding their breath. "Scored Nine."

"Well done!" I exclaimed.

"Katniss Abernathy," silence came quickly. "With a score of… Eleven!"

Gale picked me up and swung me around.

"You just did the impossible!" Cinna said. "I knew you could do it!"

Dad was looking less than happy.

"What's wrong Dad?" I asked.

"The other tributes are going to want to kill you, how can you get an eleven? They'll want to get rid of an imminent threat. Of course, this is the Game makers revenge. Remember what I said the other day?"

I nodded. A target, bigger than we ever thought, had been planted on me. I was the one to kill. I probably wouldn't survive the bloodbath.

 **A/N: I've got my braces off and just in time for my birthday on Friday! I had forgotten how bad my teeth used to be! Retainers for me now. I actually envy people who don't have to have braces. Brace rant over now. I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review telling me what you think.**

 **EmoOwlQueen x**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So I decided to get my hair dyed and I love it! It's a red ombre and my friends think that it is great. On with the story! I hope that you all enjoy this chapter!**

I had maybe three hours of broken sleep. Fear had finally settled in. I was going into a televised fight to the death. At least one person going in hated my guts, wanted me dead. It was likely that more would prefer me dead than alive. Dad would become even more of a shell, Effie wouldn't be able to cope and Elliot would hate me for breaking our promise. I was of course being selfish. All the other tributes had family and friends anxiously hoping for their return. Gale had several younger siblings and had lost his father a few years ago. Losing Gale would kill Hazelle.

By the time Effie had came in I was ready for the day.

"Darling, today is the day that your father and I prepare you for your interview," she smiled slightly.

"Bloody interviews," I muttered.

"Language!" Effie scolded. "I almost forgot! Joey and Finnick are helping you with interview angles!"

"What?!" I exclaimed.

"Haven't you gotten over your crush?" seeing my blush she continued, "I adore young love!"

I ran out of the room only to run into the person in question,

"Finnick," I acknowledged.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Well we all knew it was coming."

"If you manage to survive, something I don't doubt, would you come to Four to stay with me? I mean you don't have to," blood rushed to his cheeks.

"I'd love to," I smiled and he looked relieved.

Laughter erupted behind Finnick and I saw Dad, Gale and Joey.

"Knew it!" Joey said, shaking his head.

"Nice to see you too Joey," I gave him a hug.

"You've grown, not as tall as me yet, Kat," he smiled.

I raised an eyebrow,"Sorry that you're like a foot taller than me."

Dad broke down in laughter again.

"How about we all go for some breakfast?" Gale suggested and we all nodded.

* * *

"So, Gale can do interview tactics with Haymitch, Finnick and Joey, then how to behave appropriately,"Effie decided. "Katniss, you're with me first, come on."

She went into another room and I followed after her, mouthing the words 'help me' causing Joey to start laughing.

"Smiling?" I asked.

"Yes. Darling, I love you, but you are unable to smile!" she told me.

I rolled my eyes. "Effie, why would I want to smile? I hate these people, they want me dead!"

"Just try to smile, please. Now," she pulled out a pair of high heeled shoes," I need you to be able to walk in some of these."

"Effie, I am not wearing those death traps on my feet!" I exclaimed, horror evident in my voice.

"Cinna is insisting that you wear something to make you taller," Effie argued.

"I highly doubt he said six inches of pure torture! No! I'm not wearing them! Do you want me to fall over and break my ankles and then come tomorrow be unable to run?! No! Three inches is the most!" I countered.

Sighing, she nodded her head," Fine."

* * *

"How was it, Sweetheart?" Dad asked.

"Awful! Smiling and walking in heels isn't my thing."

Dad smiled, "You get that from me."

"Haymitch you've walked in heels?" Joey asked, laughing. "I can't wait to tell Conlan that!"

"Shut up, you knew what I meant," Dad said trying to scold him, but failing due to his laughter

"Did I though? So Kat, being weak and girly are out of the picture, what do you think would work?" Joey inquired, moving on from the heels.

"Aren't you supposed to be working that out?" I questioned, smirking slightly.

"Very funny," Joey grinned. "Mysterious?"

"We could play it, how she got the eleven," Finnick added.

"I don't think it would work," Dad frowned. "You aren't distant enough."

"A chirpier version of myself? I could try not to bite Flickerman's head off. What is Gale doing?" I asked.

"It could work. Gale is going for the protective older brother. Wants to get you out alive, will stop at nothing, will-" I cut Joey off.

"Fiercely loyal, we could bring Elliot into this. How I promised him I would make it out alive, we could mention you, Finn,"

"I think you are onto something, Sweetheart!" Dad exclaimed.

* * *

Cinna had produced an amazing dress, something that suited me and reflected my personality. It had a black under dress which came to my knees and a flowing material that sprouted from my waist and came halfway down my calf. Luckily the shoes were only three inches high and plain black. A silver necklace dangled from my neck, sparkling in the light. Some of my hair had been pinned up into an intricate bun and the rest was curled loosely down my back.

"You look beautiful," Finnick had said before he returned to his tributes.

I waited nervously for my interview. Rue had gone for the innocent but determined angle and Thresh had gone for his natural self. Clove had been portrayed as dangerous, which she most definitely was.

"Katniss Abernathy!"

I walked onto the stage, schooling my features so that they wouldn't display my fear. I shook Caesar's hand.

"To those of you who don't know, the lovely Katniss is the daughter of Haymitch Abernathy, the victor of the Second Quarter Quell," Caesar informed the crowd.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"How do you feel about your chances of winning? Your eleven shows that you must have something up your sleeve."

Ignoring his stupidity I answered," I promised my little brother Elliot that I would make it home to Twelve and I don't like to break my promises. I also told our friend Finnick that I would visit him in Four when I won."

"Finnick Odair? A wonderful boy, am I right to assume there may be something blossoming between the two of you?" he asked.

"I don't know, Caesar, I am merely twelve, but we are certainly good friends."

"What about your district partner?"

"Gale is like my brother, I respect him and he has taught me many things that may come of use in the arena, I know that he would die for me to get out of there alive."

The buzzer went off and I shook his hand again.

Gale walked on and sat down.

"So Gale, you scored an impressive nine. Was Katniss right to say that you would die for her?"

"Of course I would die for her, she is as good as my sister. It's my job to protect her. If she died it would mean I failed," Gale said.

"Strong words. Do you have any idea what you are going to do in the arena?"

"Katniss and I have formed a plan with our allies, but we are not inclined to share this information with you. We don't want anybody to use it against us."

That was all he had time for because the buzzer went off.

Tomorrow was the start of the horror. If I survived I would be haunted by it. Dad and Effie held me close to them until I had to go to sleep. Who knew if tomorrow would be my last day?

 **A/N: I hoped that you like it! Please favourite and follow and leave a review telling me what you think.**

 **Some additional information for you all.**

 **Joey**

 **District 3** **Won the 68th Hunger Games aged 15**

 **Conlan**

 **District 5**

 **Won the 67th Hunger Games aged 16**

 **~EmoOwlQueen x**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello! So two of my closest friends got together recently and now they are both going on a trip with our school, but on different days so they won't see each other or be able to talk to each other for a week because they won't have any signal. As I was halfway through writing this chapter two more of my closest friends got together. One of the only single pringles left in my group. Congratulations guys.I hope that you all enjoy this chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games.**

I woke up to the glorious sound of Dad and Gale arguing.

"No," Dad said firmly, "You will find Eleven and get your asses out of there!"

"But Katniss can-" Gale started.

"She can run fast, we know," Dad interrupted, "but I don't want to see her get slaughtered in the most brutal part of the games!"

"Kat is going to chance it. She is the best runner in all of twelve. The short distance is what she was made for!"

"Gale, just get her past the bloodbath, I can help you from there," Dad pleaded.

I knew it was early. It was still quite dark outside. Putting on some simple clothes I headed outside to join them.

"Gale is right Dad, I'm going to try. I've got to get something," I told him.

Cinna and Portia, Gale's stylist, came in then.

"We have fifteen minutes. Effie is trying to rally up sponsors for you both," Cinna informed.

"Right, Sweetheart, can I have a word with you?" Dad asked.

"Yeah, sure."

We went into the dining room.

"I love you Sweetheart and as I have said before, I am going to try my damn hardest to get you out alive," Dad said hugging me.

"I love you too Dad, make sure Effie and Elliot know. Look after Effie. The stress isn't good for the baby,"

We sat in silence, Dad holding me close to him,waiting until Cinna called for me. Unfortunately, it was soon time for me to leave for the arena.

"I love you Sweetheart."

"See you soon Dad."

Cinna and I made our way up to the roof. The journey in the hovercraft was almost pleasant, if you ignored the fact that I was being delivered to a site of death.

I dressed in the black trousers and a blue blouse. A brown jacket was wrapped around my waist and sturdy leather boots were on my feet. The golden mockingjay pin that I had almist forgotten about was pinned on my chest by Cinna. He braided my hair into two french braids and I was done.

Food was available and I had a slice of toast and plenty of water.

Then I was ordered to get into the tube.

I stepped inside the glass case and the doors shut around me.

"I'm betting on you, Girl on Fire," Cinna smiled slightly. "Good luck."

I started to rise. Higher and higher.

The voice of the legendary Claudius Templesmith boomed around me," let the Seventieth Hunger Games begin!"

The countdown started as I took in my surroundings. 60. 59. 58. 57. 56.

There was a forest behind me and a mountain in front of me. The cornucopia glistened in the sunlight. I saw a bow and a quiver of arrows a mere 20 metres away. Mine.

48\. 47. 46. 45.

I looked at the tributes who were close to me. Clove and the boy from 8. I could just make out the outlines of Thresh and Rue, the latter to the right and the former to the left. There was no sign of Gale.

23\. 22. 21. 20. 19.

I could do this. Grab the bow and the backpack lying near it, find my allies and work out a plan from there.

10\. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.

*BOOM*

I shot off my metal plate and grabbed my bow and the backpack quickly. I ran to the right, to where i had seen Rue run off too. The girl from 6 ran at me with a knife. Panic took over my system and I released an arrow. It hit her in the neck. She fell to the ground: dead.

Running to the treeline I was stopped, Clove was in my way.

"Take this," she said handing me a knife. "Good luck Katniss."

She ran back into the bloodbath and I went to Rue, who was hiding in a tree.

Gale and Thresh had reached us quickly and we began our journey into the woods. We, meaning Thresh, Gale and I, walked for a few hours while Rue swung from tree to tree. It must have been a wonderful sight to see. The high scoring tributes from districts that were usually killed in the bloodbath.

"Something strange happened," I said suddenly. "Clove gave me a knife, didn't attempt to kill me or anything."

"That is quite peculiar," Thresh agreed.

We set up camp in the trees, sharing supplies out of the backpacks we had managed to get. Rue and I shared a sleeping bag and we belted ourselves in when it began to get dark. Gale and Thresh were on slightly lower branches, concealed between the leaves.

The anthem played and the faces of the dead flashed in the night sky.

The girl from 3, the male from 5, both tributes from 6, the male from 7, the girl from 8 and the males from 9 and 10. Eight dead in total. Eight children had lost their lives. I had killed one of them. I felt a pang of guilt, but quickly it faded. I knew I had to kill to get out of this arena. I had to survive- for Dad.

Rue fell asleep next to me, gently snoring. I smiled. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, she didn't look twelve, age had melted away, leaving her looking like a seven year old.

Gale had told us that he was on guard. I curled up to Rue and closed my eyes.

 **A/N: Short chapter, I'm afraid. I hoped that you all enjoyed it. If you have any ideas as to what should happen next please leave a review or PM me.**

 **~EmoOwlQueen x**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello! I hope you are all well. I am so happy and I can't believe how popular this story is getting. I never expected to get this far. Thank you to everyone who has followed, favourited, reviewed and read. I love you all so much! Cookies for you all!**

 **It has been over a year since I joined Fanfiction and it has been the best year of my life. The ability to escape in writing has been brilliant and needed.**

 **I made a friend at a netball competition. We are so similar it is hard to believe that she is a real person. Thank you fangirl fates. Potato, this chapter is for you.**

 **My life has been pretty hectic recently and I'm putting off loads of homework to get this chapter sorted for you all.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games**

 **All mistakes are entirely my own.**

 **On with the story!**

"Katniss," Thresh hissed quietly. "Can you guard for a bit?"

I nodded, unsure if he had seen it. Thresh must have swapped with Gale at some point in the night.

The sun was just beginning to peek out from behind the clouds, but it was still quite dark. If it wasn't for the fact that I could die at any moment, I could have thought it peaceful, beautiful even. I was happy with our tree choice-a willow with long, flowing branches that offered us the concealment that we desperately needed. For now we were safe.

I was still confused with what had happened yesterday. Why had Clove, a girl who had been trained her entire life for this, given me, a young girl from twelve, a weapon, even though i was already armed?

When the birds began singing i woke the others up.

"We need to keep moving," I told them.

We passed some pine trees and we ate some of the bark. It was hard to swallow without any water, but we managed.

My thoughts shifted to water. Why hadn't Dad sent us water? We had to have had some sponsors. District 12 never usually make it past the blood bath. No one from Twelve were killers so they obviously never survived. The sponsors must have loved it when, against all the odds, both tributes from Twelve survived the first night, especially me, a twelve year old. We obviously had sponsors, so why hadn't we received any water?

Many remarked that Dad and I were very alike and I have to agree with them. So it wasn't a surprise to me when I worked out Dad's way of thinking: water must be near!

I looked at the ground and sure enough, mud was surrounding my feet. I laughed, startling my companions.

"Katniss?" Gale looked at me.

"Mud!" I exclaimed and his face lit up.

"Water!" The word seemed to cheer everyone up.

We walked for another ten minutes before we came to it, a source of water, dearly craved.

Thresh checked to make sure the water was drinkable and the wait was agonising. When the water passed my lips, I realised just how thirsty I really was. Greedily, I gulped down two litres and then another two litres. We filled up our water bottles and set up camp in the nearby trees.

Gale set up some snares while Rue and I went to gather anything edible we could find.

Two canons abruptly broke our almost safe illusion. A hovercraft appeared in my vision, albeit far away. The rustling of trees really got my attention. The source of the sound was heading right for us. Rue had the knife Clove had given me and I had my bow. I was ready to fire when Gale came through the trees, another figure joining him: a girl, Elina.

"She means no harm. She saved me from District four," Gale said.

Cursing Finnick in my mind, I turned to Elina.

"How do we know that you won't kill us?"

"Because," she smiled sadly, "I have no one left. No real family. Besides, you two are twelve, you shouldn't be in here. Katniss, everyone knows you, the daughter of Haymitch, my Great-Auntie was a victor, our family was the only thing that kept her going, when they died..."

Elina trailed off and I knew what had happened. Something was telling me to trust her and normally my gut instinct was right.

Surprisingly, it was Rue who spoke first.

"Any funny business and you can say bye to the world."

Together we walked back to our camp and Thresh questioned Elina until he thought her trustworthy.

"I can't climb trees, but I have a camp not far from here. I'll find you in the-" A cannon cut her off.

"If the games continue how they are going, it will be the shortest in all of history," Thresh said.

"And the bloodiest," I muttered.

We all ate some berries that Rue had found and crackers that Elina had supplied. We filled up our supply of water and yet another canon went off.

Silence filled the air until the Capitol's anthem blared out around us.

Both from four, the ones Elina had saved Gale from, and the females from seven and ten.

"Twelve dead. Half the tributes," Rue exclaimed, working it out.

"We actually stand a chance. One of us could get out of here," Thresh stated.

"One of us is going to live," Gale declared. "Either Rue or Katniss."

It began to turn dark and Elina headed back to her camp. I was still wary of her.

"I'll be on watch," I said. "I will wake one of you up later."

The silence that was once comforting quickly became creepy. It was eerily quiet. It took a few hours before I understood why. Something destructive was edging closer towards us. Fire.

 **A/N: I am really sorry for how short this chapter is and for the wait. Minor cliff hanger there. I'll try and update as soon as I can. Please leave a review telling me what you think.**

 **EmoOwlQueen x**


	7. Chapter 7

**,A/N: Hello! I know, I know, it's been ages since I last updated and I feel so bad. I can't believe it has taken me nearly 3 months to write this chapter. Again, I'm sorry. Also I can't believe that we have hit 50 favourites and 60 follows! That might not seem like a lot to some people but you all mean the absolute world to me! Thank you so much you make me smile every day.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Hunger Games.**

 **I hope that you all enjoy this chapter! On with the story!**

My mind started racing and my body reacted to the new danger.

"FIRE!" I screamed, not caring who heard me and was alerted to my position.

Thresh stirred first, his eyes widening in shock. "RUE!"

Rue and Gale got up and we grabbed our stuff and ran.

"What about Elina?" Rue asked, nearly choking on the heavy smoke.

"She's smart, she will know what to do," Gale reassured her.

Of course it was fire. The irony of the situation would bring the residents of the Capitol to tears of laughter.

"Split up!"

The real danger began soon after. I laughed bitterly as the flaming balls flew at me from all directions. A warning hiss and they were fired; react quickly or die.

I heard a hiss but didn't move in time and a flame scorched my thigh. With a searing pain I lost focus on my task and only the smell of burnt hair brought me back to my senses. I moved around the fiery death traps in quick succession and met up with the rest of my allies and we began our dance with death. With one last violent hiss the fames stopped and we were safe- for now.

I took a breath of relief before wincing in pain.

"Here, pour some water on your leg," Thresh said passing me his water bottle.

I hated burns, I thought they were the worst kind of pain imaginable. They were quite common when I made the bread at home.

I hissed as the water came in contact with my burn. It eased it somewhat but the pain was still there; a throbbing sensation.

Hearing someone spluttering and coughing I turned around. I saw Elina bending over. Rue rushed towards her and almost instantly she was on the floor, Elina pinning her down.

Without thinking I strung my bow and shot at her. A cannon went off and Rue, sporting a new cut on her face, sighed in relief.

"We need to move."

We walked until the pain in my leg became unbearable.

"I'm sorry," I said, painfully hoisting myself into the tree.

A soft whistling sound made me look up. A parachute was flying down.

"Who's it for?"

I read the note and smiled. "It's for me. Dad sent it!" I looked inside and gasped in shock. It's an ointment for the burns- it must have cost a fortune!"

I applied it quickly and the relief was instant.

3rd Person P.O.V.

"Bastards!" Haymitch roared as the fire edged closer towards his daughter and her allies.

Everyone was watching the screen as Katniss noticed the fire and alerted her allies to the threat.

"They might survive it," Blight said and cursed as the fireballs started.

"Well this is fucking great!" Haymitch cried and looked down at his lap.

His eyes darted to the screen the second Katniss began screaming.

"Come on Katniss, you can do it," Finnick said.

His emotions were all over the place, he was frightened for the life of the girl he had feelings for.

Almost everyone who knew Katniss sighed in relief when the flames stopped.

Haymitch stood up quickly and left the room. When he returned he seemed a lot happier.

 **A/N: I realise that this chapter is extremely short and I am really sorry for the length, but I figured that you would all want something. This chapter was hard to write as I didn't know what I wanted to happen. It is slightly rushed and I apologise for that.**

 **I've had a lot of work to do recently and to be quite honest I didn't have enough motivation to write this chapter. Hopefully the next chapter will be up soon and you won't have to wait as long.**

 **Now let the British summer commence**!

 **~EmoOwlQueen x**


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